Beth

"The Fire Rose" has long been one of my favorite novels. A rendition of Beauty in the Beast set in turn of the century San Fransisco, Lackey puts more than a few new spins on the classic fairytale.

Unfortunately, this performance of the novel leaves much to be desired. There are times when the reader does an excellent job. By the last two chapters, she really has her accents down pat. That's when the producer should have had her start over and record the book again. She mispronounces quite a few words, and seems to forget her accents now and then. And too often she lacks the necessary emotion, giving the performance a stilted feeling. (She needs to go listen to James Marsters read The Dresden Files.) It's not the worst performance of an audiobook I've ever heard, but it's far from the best.

All that said, I don't regret buying the audiobook. I still love this novel, and given how little time I have for reading right now, I'm thrilled to have a way of enjoying the book while I work. I hope someday it can be re-recorded with a superior performer. Or even better -- as a full-cast audiobook.

I've read this book several times in print form, and I never stop enjoying it! I was ecstatic to find the first two books in this wonderful series in audio form, and I quite enjoyed the performance. I look forward to hearing the readings of the rest of the books in the series.